$3.8 million for Crist's run breaks record

July 7, 2005|By John Kennedy, Tallahassee Bureau Chief

TALLAHASSEE -- Attorney General Charlie Crist said Wednesday that he has raised $3.8 million in his race for governor, shattering a state fund-raising mark set just days ago by fellow Republican and rival Tom Gallagher.

"This is a great day for our campaign, but I will remain focused on the important issues facing our state," Crist said.

Campaign-finance reports for the quarter ending June 30 must be submitted to the Florida secretary of state by Monday. But leading contenders have been unveiling bottom-line figures in recent days in an attempt at political muscle-flexing.

Gallagher, the state's chief financial officer, was the first of the candidates to report, announcing last week that he had raised $3 million since jumping in the race in late May.

Gallagher's contributions topped the record $1.3 million that Gov. Jeb Bush raised in the first three months of 2001 during his re-election campaign, a level then considered substantial.

But Crist, who declared his candidacy in early May, easily sailed past the milestones set by Bush and Gallagher.

"It's really no surprise that he's done so well," said Brett Doster, Gallagher's campaign manager. "If you look at the last couple of election cycles, Crist has always started with a fund-raising lead."

Doster said Gallagher was confident he would keep pace with Crist's fund raising. The early fund-raising levels now being reported are not likely to be seen again for some time, with both campaigns expecting a drop-off in late summer.

The totals for both Republican candidates show the party may be in a powerful position to retain the governor's seat held since 1999 by Bush, who is barred by law from seeking a third term.

On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa, who polls show is that party's early front-runner, said this week that he collected $390,000 this quarter, bringing his fund-raising total to more than $800,000.

State Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua said his fund-raising report will place him in Davis' neighborhood. Former Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox, the third prominent Democrat in the race, has not released figures for the past 90 days.

For Crist, the fund-raising lead comes in the wake of independent polls released late last month that show him holding a double-digit lead over Gallagher in the Republican primary contest, which is still 14 months away.

An Orlando Sentinel poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. gave Crist 41 percent of the vote to Gallagher's 23 percent, with nearly one-third of Republican voters still undecided. Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings, who has said she is considering the race, drew 7 percent in the poll.

A survey by Quinnipiac University showed Crist ahead of Gallagher 43 percent to 31 percent, with almost one in four Republicans undecided.

Gallagher and Crist are both veterans of statewide campaigns. Gallagher, 61, is making his fourth run for governor and has served as a state legislator and also in the former Cabinet posts of treasurer and education commissioner. He was elected unopposed in 2002 to the newly created Cabinet position of chief financial officer.

Crist, 48, has been a state senator, education commissioner and an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senate before being elected state attorney general in 2002.